To Be Close to the Sky
by Gallifreyan Annihilator
Summary: Sylvia Calgary died that day...and was reborn? Now she's being sent to live in the world of her favorite anime, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, as the younger sister of Sawada Tsunayoshi. Between meddling angels, lost memories and a host of difficulties in her way, how will one ex-teen survive? "It's my sole purpose in life to protect my brother. Get in my way...and I will end you."
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Sylvia Calgary died that day...and somehow ended up with a handsome guardian angel? Now she's being sent to live in the world of her favorite anime, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, as the younger sister of Sawada Tsunayoshi. Between meddling angels and a host of difficulties in her way, how will one ex-teen survive? "It's my sole purpose in life to protect my brother. Get in my way...and I'll end you."

**GA:** I don't own_ KHR!_, only the mysterious, unnamed angel (whose name appears in the next chapter, actually) and Sylvia/Takari.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: TO BE DEAD**

My passing wasn't a tragic one. I wouldn't say it wasn't upsetting, because people cried at my funeral - well,_ somebody_ cried at my funeral, I hope. It just wasn't anything to brag about. I wasn't dying of cancer or shot during a bank robbery. There was no screaming agony or peaceful dying in my sleep.

I kind of just...died.

Okay, I don't know how I died exactly, but it was_ probably_ nothing to brag about. The only reason I'm explaining in the first place is because you have to understand why I chose what comes afterwards.

Anyways, I died. But I didn't know that I had died, so the first few minutes of my afterlife were filled with confusion. When I woke up, I looked around, expecting to be in a hospital room with my family around me. What I didn't expect was to be in a white space with nothing but the clothes on my back and a skateboard laying next to my head, cracked down the middle. I winced as I pulled myself into a sitting position, rubbing my head. Damn, I could feel a migraine coming on.

"Two hours, that's a long time to be unconscious." My attention snapped immediately to the source of the voice, a Hispanic boy sitting next to me, glancing at the Rolex around his wrist casually. "At least the pain should be gone by now. How do you feel?"

"Like my head just got split open," I replied, pretending that this was a normal situation.

"Yeah, that's probably because it did. Get split open, that is."

"Ah." I frowned in confusion at his words. "Wait, what do you mean? I'm not in the hospital."

The boy grinned widely at me, and that was around the point at which I felt dread creep into my stomach. "Of course not!" He practically shouted gleefully. "That's because you're dead!"

What. I blinked blankly at the teen, trying to understand what he just said. "I'm...dead?" I echoed, and he nodded brightly. "There's no way I'm dead. Like, no way in _hell_. My college letters are coming in next week, tomorrow's fucking _Christmas_ - I can't be_ dead_!" He smiled sadly, and something in his eyes made me pause.

"Is that so?" I couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid I didn't even know, but it still wouldn't help my denial over the fact that I was dead. "If tomorrow were to be Christmas..." he sighed. "Sylvia, sweetie. It's already the day after Christmas in your world."

I shook my head vehemently, unwilling to accept any notion that even insinuated I was anything but alive. "There's no way, I can't be dead..."

Before I knew it, I had started crying, letting tears drop onto the pristine white floor. "Am I really dead?" Nod. "Are you an angel?" Another nod. "Am I going to heaven?"

This time, I received a nervous chuckle. "Not quite. First, can I ask a few questions?" I frowned but agreed anyways. Before he said a word, a wave of his hand conjured a piece of parchment in midair, at which he glared distastefully. "Ugh. The Powers are always so...old-fashioned." Another wave brought to existence a ballpoint pen, which seemed to lighten his mood. "Okay, let's start. Your name is...?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you already know?"

"It's for memory purposes. We keep a record of it in case you ever forget. We also need to gauge how much you actually remember. So name?"

"Sylvia Calgary."

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady. Any family?"

"Mom and dad, Juliette and Ian Calgary. A brother, too, named Kyle. He's...twelve, I think?"

"Did you have any relationships outside the familial circle?"

"...what?"

"Did you have a boyfriend, or girlfriend if you're into that kind of thing?"

"...No." It pained me that I had to think about it for a moment. Was I really going to lose my memory?

"Okay, do you remember how you died?"

I thought for a moment, trying to drudge up any possible memories of how I died - I still wasn't even over the fact that I actually died, goddammit! The pain in my head got worse as I dwelled on my death, until it was too much for me to handle. "No," I said finally. "Sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Syl - can I call you Syl?" Reluctant nod. "Most people don't remember how they died. There are several reasons for it - memory suppression, too traumatic to remember without serious repercussions, things like that. Other times, it's because your memories are part of your Quest."

"Quest?" I groaned and laid back down on the white floor. "You mean, some kind of trial to get into heaven?"

The angel snickered. "Kind of. Mainly, it's your reason for rebirth. It can get you into heaven, or it cannot." With a flick of his wrist, the parchment disappeared, and in its place was a sealed envelope. "This is for you, I'm assuming. But before you go..." He paused, as though questioning whether he should say what he was about to. "I have to give you the choice. I don't want to, and I'm wholly against sending you back as is, but...everyone who is to be sent to their next lives must be allowed to part with their old."

I glanced up at him, sitting back up. "Do you mean I can...?"

"Go to your funeral only," he muttered. "Say goodbye, if you have to. Not like they'll hear or see you, but the sentiment will be there. That envelope will send you to your next world, when you're ready." He groaned and placed a hand on his forehead. "I know you'll accept. I don't want you to, but the last person to force somebody into the next world without the choice was Maria St. Hubertus, and...well, she suffered the consequences."

I glanced down at the envelope in my hand. Did I want to say goodbye to everybody? To mom, to dad, to Kyle? Finally, I glanced up at him and nodded.

"I'll go."

* * *

It was the viewing I went to, not the actual procession. My mother and father were there in the front pew, but Kyle was nowhere to be seen. My mom was crying into her hands, but my dad's face was as stony as ever. It was as if I hadn't even impacted him. Maybe I hadn't, who knows.

I recognized a few faces, and a few held blurry memories I couldn't quite comprehend. So this is what that angel had meant, I was already forgetting some of my past life. How long had it been? Barely four days now, judging by the calendar on the church wall.

My best friend was the only teen I recognized by name in the room. Lucy Martin. She was supposed to go on a hunting trip with her father, that much I knew. So why was she here, at my funeral? A group of boys sat in the back, all of them looking uninterested, impartial to the fact that I was dead. I didn't blame them, really. If I hadn't known who I was, I wouldn't be sad either.

Several aunts and uncles, and younger nieces and nephews, sat closer to the coffin, most of them looking slightly guilty, or at least the smallest bit upset. I couldn't name any of them, but I felt a silent anger boil within me at the sight of them sitting there, none of them even shedding a tear. Was I not important enough to them?

Was I not important to Kyle? The thought popped into my mind as I realized he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Leaning on the edge of my coffin, I took a sharp breath. Why was I so hung over on the fact that nobody was upset?

"It'll be okay, Juliette." My father's voice was as stoic as I vaguely remembered it. I glanced at my mother, who had looked up from her hands, green eyes shining with tears.

If she hadn't said the words that she had next, maybe things would have been different. But with every syllable, it felt like a stab to my gut. "I...I don't care about Sylvia...but Kyle, Kyle will be..."

"Kyle?" Unlike my parents' voices, my own didn't echo within the small chapel. "Kyle, you care about Kyle at a time like this?" my voice was quiet, but grew louder with every second. "I died, goddamnit!" I pushed myself off of my coffin, standing straight in front of my parents, who were looking anywhere but at me.

Not that they could see me, but still.

"You've always cared about Kyle more than me! And now, even when I die, you're scared about how his little, fragile feelings will be hurt by his big sister dying! Fuck you, mom! Kindly go fuck yourselves!"

I felt the sharp edge of the envelope in my pocket poke at me, and, filled too much with anger to rationally think things through, I grabbed it and tore it open, wanting to be as far away from my parents as possible.

Even as everything blurred to white, I felt that anger, and tried to lock it away as a new sensation overcame me, the sensation of being vulnerable.

It was getting hard to breathe, now. I tried a few times, feeling myself suffocate, before finally gasping - a gasp that came out as a long, drawn out cry.

"Look, Iemitsu, Tsu-kun! She's crying!" A fuzzy, weary voice came from above me, and I looked up, realizing just how small I was. The beautiful brown eyes of a familiar Japanese woman looked back down at me. Nana Sawada. My pain was forgotten momentarily in favor of looking up surprisingly at who was apparently my new mother.

There was a laugh from the side. "She looks so much like you." That was definitely him, Iemitsu. In his arms was a small bundle, no doubt Tsunayoshi - how old was he, no more than one, maybe? "And her eyes are sharp, for a child."

"Do you have a name for her, ma'am?" A random nurse, although she looked familiar. I couldn't tell where from, but the voice brought me pain, for some reason.

Once again, my attention turned to Nana. She would give me a name, one that I would carry for the rest of this new life. I prayed that it would be a sound name, but at the same time knew I would be glad for any name she gave me. After all, this was my new start...right?

Finally, she spoke. "Takari. Her name is Sawada Takari."

I sighed in her arms as she cradled me to her chest. And thus the life of Sylvia Calgary ended, and that of Sawada Takari began.

GA: Wow, I didn't know how to end that. That was kind of weird. Sorry! Now, before there are any questions about it, let me address a few common questions for self-insert/reborn/OC stories.

**Any canon/OC pairings?**

Well, first of all, while I can't guarantee that I won't tease pairings, I can guarantee that there will be no end-game pairings, and nothing that will contradict canon pairings (although there are technically only two hypothetically "canon" pairings, ColoLal and RyoHana). As for pairings that I'll tease, those are up in the air, but I admit that there's one in the future that is plot relevant. Kind of. You'll see.

**Will so-and-so be changed?**

You'll just have to see ;) The most likely answer will be yes, but at this point, there's no saying what will happen.

**Are there going to be anymore OCs, other than Takari and that angel?**

Kuhuhuhu, that is one I'm glad to answer: yes. There will be many more OCs. Not many as in hundreds, but there will be a few more. About six or seven more. And as an add-on to that question, these OCs will have reasons within the plot, not just to fuck around with it. Well...again, you'll just have to wait and see.

Any other questions, concerns, or comments, you can just shoot 'em at me via review or PM me if you want it privately answered. Til next time!

**~G. Annihilator**


	2. Chapter 2

GA: Welcome back! Here's chapter two; it'll consist of a lot of stuff that needs to be cleared up before we get into the nitty gritty, namely the twelve years of Sylvia- I mean, _Takari's_ life before she begins meddling with the plot of _KHR!_. Sorry if it seems to skip around a bit, I'm not used to doing it this way. Enjoy!

**EDIT:** Sorry, but don't expect to see updates this often. I still have a lot of planning out to do, and school started back up today - my last semester of senior year shouldn't be too hard, but there'll be a lot of work, so I can't promise that I'll be able to write every day.

**EDIT EDIT:** Wow, I realized that I forgot to put the quote at the end of last chapter. I'll go back and fix it if I ever get the chance, but at least there's a quote at the end of this one.

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**REPLIES**

**NoName:** Sorry about the timing, I'm no good at that, haha. That'll be even more obvious in this chapter, with all the time-skipping I do, but I hope to get better as the story progresses. As for Kyle, I can't say that there'll ever be a portion in his POV. But there is definitely going to be some more about him later on, and he might play a bigger part in this than just being the sad little brother from another world. ;)

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**CHAPTER 2: TO BE REBORN**

* * *

I never quite expected my new life to be like this. Just as I had thought, Tsuna was one when I was born. Well, one year plus some change. I grew up next to him, first in a crib next to his, then moved next to his bed once he switched to it. His large brown eyes would often follow me whenever I did something - namely, when my own brown eyes weren't on him. Although he seemed nervous around me at first, he eventually learned to toddle around me without fear. It wasn't long before Nana called us inseparable.

Although I was still familiar with my knowledge from the other world - odd, considering the fact that I could remember next to nothing from my personal life, but distinctly remember the minutest of details about _Katekyo Hitman Reborn!_ or my Calculus BC coursework - and definitely was much more mature than anybody my age, it was nice being a kid. There were no expectations, nobody nagging you to do things. You could drink from juice boxes - _we're not going to talk about breastfeeding, ever_ - and play on tiny xylophones all day.

My first word was at one year and two months. It was harder to get my vocal chords working than I thought, but I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed the pained expression on Iemitsu's - my father's - face when my first word was Tsuna.

I didn't talk often. It wasn't as though I was completely silent, but I wasn't like Tsuna, who would babble on and on about this and that. I would say a few words here and there, but never anything more than necessary, because of both the lack of things to talk about and the fear that I would say something that would be out of bounds for a young child. It was hard, being normal.

For four years, I lived blissfully with the Sawadas, and after a while, the urgency of living in that world slipped to the back of my mind. For two entire years, I was simply Sawada Takari, not a girl from another world, who had a purpose in life.

My blissful ignorance would not be long lived.

* * *

"Tsunayoshi and Takari, right?" Tsuna looked up in curiosity at the old man who was watching us with warm eyes. Timoteo seemed so kind, so gentle, that even I had to remind myself that he was a feared mafioso, not just some old man. Mama (as her child, I couldn't go around calling her Nana all the time, could I?) had dressed Tsuna and I, currently three and two, respectively, in our best clothes to go to the airport to meet him. Tsuna's fluffy brown hair would remain as unruly as ever, but my black hair was pulled back in a long ponytail, held back with a red bow. "They're so cute," Timoteo noted, at which Iemitsu grinned proudly. "Tsuna's the spitting image of Primo, and Kari..." He paused. I looked up at him, trying to play the part of innocent toddler even though I was confused as to why he stopped. Finally, he gave a small sigh. "She looks like my own mother."

His words held hesitance, but I thought nothing of it as Tsuna and I were taken to the car by Mama. The ride home was filled with comfortable silence, as Tsuna dozed off and I watched the outside world pass by. Every so often, I would look up to see Timoteo - was it _Nonno_, now? - watching one of us, a soft smile on his face.

That was the first time Vongola Nono visited us, but it would be far from the last. He visited at least once a month for two years, until the day that I knew - or at least believed to know - would be his last encounter with either of us until the far future. Tsuna and I were playing ball in the front yard while the adults talked about something or other. I didn't want to bother with it at the moment; after all, I was only four, it would be a long time before I would be involved in mafioso affairs. Tsuna would throw the ball at me, and I would roll it back to him. Toss, roll, toss, roll.

Once, I rolled it a bit too hard, and it went rolling out of the gate. I watched as Tsuna wandered out of the yard to go get it - just to come back crying as a tiny dog chased him back in. He hid behind me, and the chihuahua growled at me as I watched with wary eyes, instinctively protecting Tsuna. Apparently, his cries had alerted the adults, and Iemitsu (for some reason, I had the distinct inability to call him dad. Maybe it was because I knew, soon enough, that he wouldn't be in our lives enough for me to call him our father?) shooed the dog away as Timoteo picked up the terrified Tsuna. "Don't be scared," he murmured, before turning to Iemitsu.

"Iemitsu, I won't be able to return here for a long time. I believe it will be better if I seal away his Flames today. They're too pure to let run free." Iemitsu looked torn, but finally agreed. I watched as he brought a finger up to Tsuna's forehead, lit with a small Sky Flame. Without a single word from anybody, the deed was done.

"What happened to Tsuna-nii? And what are Flames?" I asked, and the two look down, as though they had forgotten I was there. Rude.

Timoteo laughed gently, setting Tsuna down next to me and bending down so we were at eye level. "Nothing happened to Tsuna, I'm just making sure he stays protected. That's what Flames do, they protect you."

I frowned, not liking what he said. If Flames protect you, then why would he...? I shook my head. That was a question for another time. I was four, I had to remember that. If I stepped out of line, questions would be asked. However, that line of thought didn't prevent me from speaking my mind. "Well, Tsuna-nii doesn't need to be protected by his flames."

Timoteo raised an eyebrow. "And why is that?" My response was a determined glare, one that surprised even myself. Where I found the spirit, I had no clue.

"Because that's why he has me."

"You're not sealing away Takari's flame?" After that incident, the mafiosi had scurried back into their meeting room, but this time I wasn't going to let them hide anything else. "_Nono_, why-"

"Her Sky Flames aren't strong enough to attract any unwanted attention," Timoteo cut him off. "At this rate, they won't grow strong enough to power a ring at all." He paused. "In fact, it's not her Sky Flames I'm worried about. That's the reason I'm not sealing them. If I seal the Sky, then the others will most likely be locked away as well."

I frowned. What other Flames? "But _Nono_, if her other Flames are as strong as you say they are, then wouldn't that make it even more dangerous if they weren't sealed away?"

"Not exactly. The other Flames don't have the same connotation as Sky Flames. Sky Flames are rarer, by far, and as such, Tsunayoshi is a natural born leader - one that would become a target if anybody were to find out about. However, Takari's Flames are suited for a protector, not a leader. Nobody would come after her, even if they were to be out in the open." A solitary laugh escaped him. "And there is somebody within this city with stronger Flames, is there not? I do believe that your lovely neighbor Nadeshiko can attest to that."

I growled to myself, irritated that they wouldn't directly name my Flames. What were they? I wanted to know, damnit! If I wasn't Sky, what was I?

"_Nono_, we are not getting the Yakuza involved!"

"I'm not saying get them involved entirely. I'm simply telling you to keep them _close_."

"...Is that all, _Nono_?" I could hear the resignation in Iemitsu's voice. Whatever Timoteo was insinuating, he didn't like, but at the same time, he couldn't stop the Vongola boss from getting what he wanted.

"Yes. Now if you excuse me, there's a matter that must be taken care of regarding the Simone." I managed to toddle away before I was hit by the outward-swinging door, but I couldn't escape Timoteo's stare. Instead of that warm smile he had given to me and Tsuna so many times, I was met with a cold smirk, one that sent shivers down my spine.

Without a word from me, he left, leaving me wondering just how much trouble I was really in.

* * *

Years passed, and the Flame incident was pushed to the back of my mind. Instead, other thoughts filled my every waking moment - the angel that had just reappeared in my life as I started school being one of them.

"Oh, don't be so upset, Kari-chan," he muttered, leaning against the swingset as I swung away boredly. Ever since that incident, I had become more wary, less open to others. I would rarely talk to others of my age, instead clinging to Tsuna whenever I got the chance. I wasn't sure what had happened to me, only that Vongola Nono's actions had made me that much more protective of Tsuna, and as such, I felt the need to guard him whenever I could. Even at the young age of eight years, I felt the incessant urge to protect Tsuna, no matter what. "Everything's going as planned, right? Why are you so upset with me?"

"It's your fault I'm here in the first place, Leo," I mumbled, trying not to look like a psychopath to the other kids. Everybody else had grown out of their imaginary friends, what would they think if they saw me talking to an angel that nobody else could see? "Why here, of all places?"

Leo frowned. "Eh, I thought you would be happy with this. When I last saw you, you..." He sighed. "Okay, fine, you can blame me all you want. I was the one who gave the Powers the idea, anyways. But now you're stuck with it, so what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." He seemed surprised at my short yet determined answer. "Nothing yet, not until I have to do something. If I stay out of the way, then everything will run its due course, right?"

Leo snickered. "Then are you planning on running away?"

"Of course not! I have it too good with mama and Tsuna-nii to give all that up. I'm just a selfish little bitch." My guardian angel's response was a quiet laugh.

"I have no doubt about that, Kari-chan."

* * *

"Tsuna-nii, wake up!" I sighed as there was no reply from inside his bedroom. Today was the stupid day, and he wouldn't even wake up on time. "Tsuna-nii, mama said you would walk me to school today!"

It was my first day of middle school, and like hell I wanted to be late to Nami-chuu! Even if I didn't know what was in store already, my brother told me enough to scare me into being the prim, proper middle schooler that Hibari Kyouya wanted everyone to be. As I opened the door to Tsuna's room, I couldn't help but sigh at how little his organization skills had improved over the years. His room was still a mess, as always, and it would take me a good two minutes to trudge through everything and reach his bed.

I took one final, deep breath and-

"TSU-NA-NII!"

With a screech, Tsuna hurtled out of bed and landed unceremoniously on the floor. "Kari, what was that for?" He whined, and I stared at him blankly.

"Mama said you were going to walk me to school, and I don't want to be late. It's already 7:45!"

Tsuna scrunched his forehead in confusion. "Are you sure? My clock says it's only 6:30." Indeed, the clock on his bedside table read 6:30. "Maybe the blackout last night reset your clock...?"

I blushed in embarrassment; that would explain things, all right. Tsuna relied on his analog clock, which definitely wouldn't have been affected by the blackout, unlike my digital one. "Well, that doesn't matter! I still don't want to be late!" As my brother picked himself up from the floor and got ready for the day, complaining about me all the while, I nodded and thudded my way down the stairs to see Mama already setting breakfast on the table.

"Oh, Ta-chan, you're up early. Is Tsu-kun already awake, too? I have some great news for the two of you."

I made myself comfortable at the kitchen table, where an omelette was already waiting for me, before answering. "Mama, you know that everybody calls me Kari-chan. Nobody says Ta-chan. And yes, Tsuna-nii is up." I didn't mean to talk to her emotionlessly, it was just something that happened - either I sounded bored or angry, there was no in between. Maybe it was a side effect from my feelings in the past world, maybe it was just that I was tired from living twice, or maybe that was how I had always been without really noticing it. In any case, there was no way getting around the fact that I sounded like an apathetic little girl.

Oddly enough, despite his scaredy-cat nature, Tsuna was the only person capable of looking past my "intimidating" aura, as well as the only person who actually treated me like a normal person. Teachers would often call me out for being rude or disrespectful when I simply pointed out their mistakes, and other kids my age rarely, if ever, approached me, most likely because of my aforementioned aura.

Ah, speak of the devil. "Good morning, Mama," Tsuna greeted when he came crashing down the stairs, somehow landing on his feet for once instead of his derriere like always.

"Tsu-kun." The tone in Mama's voice made him pause, and even I looked up from my food. "I don't have to want to say this, but your grades have been a bit low lately." I suppressed a snort of laughter as Tsuna began whining. "Now, now, don't start. I only want what's best for you, so I've decided to hire a tutor for both you and Ta-chan."

"What." I looked over at her. "But Mama, I have absolutely no trouble with my grades. I have the highest marks in the class-"

"So while Tsu-kun is tutored at his own grade level, you can study along with him." Her bright smile outshone any complaint I had even thought of in the few seconds she spoke. There was no getting around a decision made by Sawada Nana.

_But the first and only tutor to show up in the Sawada household in canon was...!_

My thoughts were interrupted as the doorbell rang, signalling a visitor. "I'll get it," I said quickly before my mom or brother could respond, and hopped off of my seat to open the door. Mama and Tsuna both peered over my shoulder - or rather, over my entirety, considering I wasn't the tallest of the Sawada family - as I stared at the visitor. _Nailed it._

"Ciaossu, I'm your new at-home tutor, Reborn. You called?"

* * *

_They say every journey begins with a single step. Unfortunately, this particular journey may be fast and mildly irritating, ending at the bottom of the cliff you just stepped off of._

_Good luck._

* * *

GA: And thus ends chapter two! The Daily Life arc shouldn't be very long, just snippets from episodes here and there, enough to acquaint the characters and understand Takari's own situation. Remember, she's physically a year younger than Tsuna, so she's going to have a different set of friends, different experiences, and different classes.

**INB4 QUESTIONS (THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ON PEOPLE'S MINDS)**

**Q: Takari's description isn't biologically accurate for a Sawada! She shouldn't have black hair!**

A: Her similarities lie with Daniela, AKA Vongola Ottava, although admittedly, most of the similarities are coincidental at best (i.e. hair style/color and face shape), and Ottava and the Sawadas are nowhere near the same lineage. But I can't say much else, or _something_ or another would get spoiled.

**Guessing Game: Guess Takari's Flame type before it's revealed in a few chapters! It's_ not_ limited to the seven canon Flames, but remember that it's already revealed that she has extremely weak Sky flames, so that's out of the picture.**

Til next time!

~G. Annihilator


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter published: 1/20-2014

GA: Sixteen follows and nine faves already, I don't know what to say! Thanks, you guys, I'm glad you're interested in my stuff! OuO

Also, to avoid any potential confusion, I referred to the angel as Leo in the last chapter. His actual name is Leon St. Fiamma, but since it would be confusing to call him Leon, Kari calls him Leo.

Also also, everything's paraphrased, and not everything will go exactly according to canon. There shouldn't be any gaping plot holes, but, like, they won't do the exact same things at the exact same times. My author's side is saying creative license, but my "excuse" is that Kari/Sylvia's involvement in the world created teeny tiny, miniscule differences in canon.

Also also also, please tell me if I get the honorifics wrong! I'm going by memory here, and I forgot some of the less common ones (like if Kyoko calls Hana '_Hana_' or '_Hana-chan_', for the first example in this chapter).

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**REPLIES**

**ShinigamiinPeru: **Thanks! And I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but I hope the chapter makes up for it. :) 3000+ words, I've never written so long a chapter! I'll try to get the next one out sooner to compensate, too.

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**CHAPTER 3: TO BE ****AT THE BEGINNING**

* * *

_When he first reached the door, he wasn't sure what to make of the glowing of his pacifier. There was only one Arcobaleno with close ties to the Sawada family, and Lal didn't even have a pacifier of her own. With a suspicious glance around, he took it off and hid it safely under his hat; if anybody were to touch it on any given day, he would have killed them on the spot. Now, it was just an extra precaution._

_Fixing his posture, he rang the doorbell, and waited._

"Well, that was fast!" Mama declared as I stepped to the side to let the Arcobaleno in. I gave a quick glance down at Reborn's chest - _no pacifier?_ - before looking back up at his face, hoping he didn't notice. His expression didn't show either way.

Tsuna, as opposed to mama, was moderately more upset about the ordeal. "He's just a baby! How is he supposed to tutor me at all?" I decided not to voice my opinion on the matter, and instead grabbed my cup of milk as I watched the chaos unfold.

Tsuna ended up getting drop-kicked by the baby in the tuxedo, big surprise. He complained before shouting as Reborn ate his omelette, which was also to be expected. What wasn't expected, however, was when Mama giggled and excused herself to her room to get ready for the day, leaving Tsuna and I with the psychotic Arcobaleno. That left an entire hour before we had to leave for school - and an hour for the hitman to begin making our lives a living hell.

"So...Reborn-san, was it?" I asked, sipping at my milk as I leaned on the counter. "Are you really here to tutor...us?" He looked at me, and I suppressed a shudder from looking directly into his beady black eyes. Totally creepy. "Or are you a weird little kid who's just going to take advantage of Mama's naivety?"

Reborn glanced at me once more - and promptly pointed a gun in my face. "Don't take me lightly, Sawada Takari," he said calmly as I held my hands up, cup of milk still clutched in one hand; it might have been funny on TV, but Reborn was deadly scary in real life. My eyes were blown wide with panic at the situation, and I felt cold milk spill onto my hand from the shaking. Satisfied at my response, he flicked the gun, and Leon scuttled up his arm to rest on his shoulder. "Sawada Tsunayoshi and Takari," he addressed us both this time, "my name is Reborn, and I've come to train you to be mafiosi."

* * *

"This is absolutely nuts." Fifty-five minutes after the revelation, and Tsuna was still in denial. I had no idea how to act myself - I couldn't exactly act surprised, I was never the best actress - so I settled for staring at Leon. The lizard stared back, unblinking. I wondered briefly if _my_ Leon was _this_ Leon, but the thought was quickly banished. There was no way an angel would stoop so low as to disguise himself as a chameleon. "Kari-chan, you agree with me, right?"

I shrugged indecisively. "I'm not going to argue with the child who just threatened to put a bullet in my brain." Tsuna hie'd in distress as even his own sister wouldn't take his side. Instead of worrying about it, however, I grabbed my bag and motioned for Tsuna to hurry up or we'd be late, even though we woke up so early.

_Her Sky Flames aren't strong enough..._

I hid my bitterness by pretending to be in thought as I walked down the street, Tsuna right on my heels. It hadn't been my intention to steal the title of Vongola Decimo from my brother, but the sentiment of knowing that I wasn't good enough was there. I sighed and closed my eyes as Tsuna complained some more about Reborn, almost running into a girl as I rounded the corner. Before I could stop myself, I went sprawling to the ground, followed shortly by one Sasagawa Kyoko.

Really, it was little things like this that was going to kill me.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko said, brushing herself off before helping me to my feet. I thanked her quietly, at which point Tsuna decided to make his presence known by shrieking her name in surprise. "Oh, Tsuna-kun! Is this your sister?"

"Yes," I cut in before Tsuna could do something embarrassing like disown me as his sister, "my name's Sawada Takari. And you must be Sasagawa Kyoko-chan, right? Tsuna-nii talks a lot about you." Kyoko giggled, much to the embarrassment of my now red-faced brother.

"That's nice. And oh! Is this your brother?" My eyebrows knitted together in confusion before I turned around and realized she was talking about Reborn, who had mysteriously showed up out of nowhere and was now perched atop Tsuna's head.

Instead of correcting her, he greeted her and hopped onto the cement ground. "Ciaossu, I'm Reborn, the world's greatest hitman." Word for word, just what I expected him to say. It was almost eerie, in fact, suddenly knowing what would happen - more or less - after years of going blind, per se.

"And he's going to teach Tsuna-nii and I how to be hitmen, too," I chimed in, ignoring the protests from brother dearest.

Kyoko giggled at our words; it was obvious that she thought it a joke. "That's adorable. And you must be a good brother for playing along, Tsuna-kun," she said, addressing him once more. "Well, I've got to go, but have fun playing hitmen!" She waved and walked away, and I had a moment of suspicion wondering where Haru was before Tsuna broke it.

"Kari-chan! You don't tell somebody that I talk about them a lot! We barely talk in class!" He then turned to Reborn. "And why did you tell her you were a hitman! You're both crazy!"

"You have a crush on Sasagawa Kyoko." Ignoring his previous outburst, Reborn stated the obvious. I held back my snickers at Tsuna's expense. "And you don't do anything about it."

Tsuna sighed. "Obviously! She's the most popular girl in school, and I'm the lowest of the low. My nickname's Dame-Tsuna, for chrissake." I watched Reborn as he hummed before bringing Leon to his hand. Oh boy, did I know where this was going.

Without even saying anything, the Arcobaleno called Tsuna's attention to him - and then shot him. Right then and there, no warning, just bam. I jumped at the shock and was about to start shouting at Reborn - even if I knew what was going on, I just saw my brother get shot in the head, _holy mother of fuck why wasn't I protecting him_ - when Tsuna popped back up to his feet, screaming how he would confess to Kyoko with his dying will. Acting surprised wasn't too hard, considering the fact that my gasps were genuine. I then continued to stare as my brother, clad in naught but his boxers, raced down the street towards the object of his affections.

It wasn't until Reborn pulled out a hang glider that I realized that I would be late to school if I didn't get a move on. It was hard running without letting my skirt flap around in the breeze, but somehow managed to reach the school gate in time to see Tsuna running into the school with an extra uniform in his hands. Hibari was standing there, watching him retreat, his attention turning to me when he heard my footsteps approaching. "Get to class, herbivore."

Something in his expression caught my eyes, but his intimidating stance - five seconds away from _biting me to death_ if I didn't comply - made me hesitate before bowing and racing into the school building myself.

There was no way I was messing with the Disciplinary Committee.

* * *

Lunch rolled around fairly quickly, and I cursed not having the same lunch period as my brother. Instead, I stayed in my seat, idly watching the other girls in my clad firm their usual cliques. Not much had changed from elementary school.

"Sawada Takari-chan?" My attention snapped to the girl who had called my name. She leaned against my desk, looking at me as though I were a curiosity, although the opposite should have held true.

Since I knew several tidbits of the future - Lussuria, Bluebell, Zakuro - her hair wasn't the weirdest thing I had ever seen. However, its green shade stuck out enough from the blacks and browns of the class for me to be mildly concerned. Her eyes, too, were green, but a shade that could be passed off as natural if she were a foreigner. "Megpoid," I said finally, realizing who she reminded me of; she was almost the spitting image of the VOCALOID character. "Who're you?"

Gumi Look-Alike blinked in confusion before grinning widely. "So you _are_ Sawada Takari-chan, then? My name's Koizumi Kyota, but you can call me Kyo-chan!"

Ah. I had said earlier that not much had changed from elementary school, but this was one thing that had. She was the one name I hadn't recognized when the teacher had called roll, which also explained the looks she was receiving. Or maybe that was just because she was talking to me.

Either way.

"Koizumi-san," I said, refraining myself from sighing in exasperation, "what do you want?" Her smile faltered.

"Well, I mean, you're by yourself, and...some of the other girls said you're like me, a loner. Maybe we can be loners together?" She glanced to the side, obviously nervous. I followed her gaze to where a group of girls sat snickering at us. No doubt they were trying to make me look like a fool. But whether Kyota was in on it or she was just another victim, I wasn't sure. Those girls would no doubt send in a newbie to take the fall, but they hadn't before.

Finally I came to a decision, and Kyota looked at me with surprise as I gestured to an empty seat in front of me, whose owner had left for the rooftop to eat. "Sure, whatever. Be my guest." I didn't care, really. If she was nice enough, then I wouldn't get hurt. If she was an enemy, then I would just look as stupid as I apparently always did.

She talked happily as she pulled out her bento, while I listened to her with half an ear. I picked up a few pieces of information about her, but nothing that would label her as a threat. Before transferring to Namimori-Chu, she had attended a large elementary school in Tokyo, but then had to move to Nami because the rent was cheaper. She had an older brother who was currently working overseas, and he paid for her residence since their parents weren't around. She also had a dog named Uno, after her favorite card game, and a cat named Cheshire, since she loved _Alice in Wonderland_.

Finally, she stopped when she realized that I hadn't spoken a word. "Ah, I'm sorry, I haven't given you any time to talk!"

I shrugged. "It's fine, I don't have much to talk about. My brother-"

"Your brother is a wimp, and he's going to get his ass handed to him by mine." Or attention turned to Mochida Saki, the girl who probably hated me the most out of the entire class. She was also the younger sister of Kensuke, unfortunately, which meant that she was painfully aware of the beat down her brother was about to give mine. Kyota glanced at me, but my attention wasn't on her, instead focused solely on Saki, as I uttered the words.

"I'll kill you."

Ah yes, there were those reasons I had mentioned for being the outcast of the class. Three of them, actually. The first was my "violent nature", although it was more empty threats than anything. The second was my habit of talking to myself, which couldn't be explained away unless somebody could see Leo. And the third, and most accurate to boot, was the supposed brother complex I had for Tsuna.

"Talk bad about him again, and I'll kill you," I reiterated, and she stepped away from me. Even if my threats were never followed through, they were strong enough to get the job done. With a harumph, Saki tried to gather the last of hey pride by stalking off to her seat, and I finally looked back at Kyota, expecting a look on her face akin to horror.

Instead, I was surprised to see her wearing a large grin. "That's so...cool!" She crowed. "Like, your brother must be so lucky to have a sister like you."

"Not really." I shrugged. "I'm used to sticking up for him. His nickname _is_ Dame-Tsuna, after all." Kyota seemed to ignore me as she jabbered away once more, this time about how her brother never visited and how lucky I must be to have a family or something like that, but I didn't particularly mind. It wasn't until she shot me a large grin and went back to her own seat as class was resumed that I allowed myself a small smile. Koizumi Kyota wasn't so bad, after all.

* * *

"You seem moderately happy." Oh, there was the stupid angel's weekly checkup. "Did something happen?"

I didn't answer out loud as I walked down the halls of Nami-Chu to the kendo dojo where the face-off would begin. Leo walked next to me, phasing right through anybody who walked through him. Kyota, oddly enough, hadn't said anything after school, and had packed her bags fairly quickly before leaving. I wasn't too worried, however, since I was preoccupied myself.

I stepped into the dojo and Leo hummed in understanding. "Well," he said as he passed through several upperclassmen, "since it looks like your Quest is starting, I hope you don't mind if I drop by a bit more frequently than I have been."

"Quest?" I froze as I realized that I had spoken out loud, but nobody was particularly paying attention as all eyes were on Mochida. Still, I made sure to lower my voice so as to not attract any attention. "You keep on mentioning my Quest, but you never tell me what it is."

A chuckle came from the angel who had disappeared behind me. "Isn't it obvious? It's to protect Tsuna, make sure this timeline doesn't get rewritten. Well, that's the basics of it, at least. Why else would you be his sister? And you've felt the urges to protect him, that's just your brain saying don't screw it up."

He seemed as though he were about to say more, but was interrupted by a weight slamming itself against my back. I stumbled forward, barely able to catch myself before I went tumbling onto the dojo floor. "Hey, Taka-chan! I remembered how Saki-san said your brother was fighting her brother, and decided to cheer him on!"

"Koizumi-san, please, if you're going to use a nickname, for the love of god don't call me Taka. It's _Kari_." I straightened out my uniform before continuing, keeping eye contact with the green-haired girl. "And that's...great...that you want to support him." Not that he needs support, a Dying Will Bullet is more than enough, I thought to myself, before glancing around the room. Most of the students there, like Mochida and my brother, were upperclassmen, but I recognized Saki and her gaggle of devout followers on the other side of the room.

Honestly, I'm pretty sure they just hung out with her because they had the hots for her brother.

"Is that your brother, Ta-...I mean, Kari-chan?" Kyota asked, pointing at Mochida. I snorted, crossing my arms in front of me.

"Not even close. That's Mochida-senpai, Saki's brother." Kyota hummed, and I gestured towards where I saw two familiar faces (one from this morning, and the other from a lifetime ago) standing side by side. "Let's go, I see the reason for this little dispute right over there."

As I dragged Kyota towards the two girls, it was Kurokawa Hana who noticed me first. "Che. Underclassmen? What are you doing here?" Of course, her distaste for younger kids shone through the very first second she laid eyes on us.

"Hana-chan, don't be rude! Hello, Takari-chan and friend!" Kyoko shot me a blinding smile, which I returned about half-way. If I had figured out anything about Kyota, she was also smiling at full brightness."Are you here to cheer on your brother?"

"If he shows up, Kyoko-senpai," I replied. Mentally, I shuddered at calling her senpai. Even if it were technically correct, what with her being an upperclassman and all, it didn't sound right rolling off my tongue. "And knowing him, I'll have to protect him, too." At the word protect, I realized that Leo had disappeared, and groaned to myself. Damn disappearing angel.

That was about the time Mochida (Kensuke, not Saki) began laughing his obnoxious laugh. "Is Sawada not going to show up? I guess that means I win by default!" He continued laughing, but a reflected light caught my attention from the rafters, and I glanced upwards. If Reborn was here, then that meant Tsuna wasn't far behind...

Indeed, the dojo went silent as the door practically slammed open, revealing a terrified-out-of-his-wits Tsuna. "That's my brother," I whispered to Kyota as he hobbled up to take his place opposite Mochida. She shot me a confused look.

"He looks nothing like you, though."

"I know. We have weird genes."

Mochida pointed at Tsuna before declaring loudly, "This is a battle between men to determine which of us is worthy of Kyoko-chan!" There were several choking sounds in the audience, and several more cries of indignation.

"Chauvinistic pig!" I shouted at him, but my voice went unheard over the uproar of applause for the upperclassman. Ugh. Men.

The next thing I knew, the referee blew the whistle, and the match began. It was obvious, at the beginning, who was going to lose - let's be honest here, Tsuna was getting his butt kicked. I chewed at my bottom lip nervously as Mochida landed hit after hit, not stopping for a second. Tsuna scrambled around the dojo, trying to evade the onslaught, but to no avail. It was almost pitiful to watch.

"Tsuna, fight!"

Finally, I saw that flash of light once more as Reborn aimed his rifle, and followed the path of the bullet to Tsuna's forehead. So Kyoko's words of encouragement were the trigger for Reborn to pull his own. Within minutes, the skirmish was over, ending with a pants-less Tsuna and bald Mochida. "Holy shit," were Kyota's first words after the dojo was filled with silence for a few minutes, "that was...that was so _cool_."

I was about to reply when three of our classmates practically skittered towards us, looking nervous. "Sawada-san!" I recognized the ringleader of the group as Izayama Dani, one of the few biracial girls in the class and the only Japanese-American.

"We're sorry for insulting your brother!" The group chorused as one, bowing. Dani spoke up once more. "Please forgive us for our insolence!"

Oh dear mother of christ, it was this thing. I recognized the real-life trope from several shoujo anime I had picked up in my spare time, the stereotype that involved the mean girls being shown up by the main character and the main character being nice and accepting them and becoming friends with everybody in the class. Like hell I was taking that route. "Yeah, whatever. Just...whatever." The trio bowed once more before scurrying away, leaving me with Kyota as Hana and Kyoko went over to "congratulate" my brother.

Kyota giggled. "I'm glad I snagged you first, Kari-chan." I raised an eyebrow at her, but she simply smiled at me and winked. "It's nothing!"

"You're a weird one, Koizumi Kyota."

"Eh?!" Tsuna's shrieks distracted me from our conversation, and I turned away from Kyota to see that my brother had spotted me. "Kari-chan, don't tell me you..."

"Watched it," I affirmed. "The whole thing. That was really impressive, Tsuna-nii. Can you teach me how you did that?" The last thing I heard from Tsuna before he was knocked out by a baby to the head were his screeches about life being unfair. With a final wave goodbye to Kyota, I followed Reborn - who was carrying Tsuna as though he didn't weigh an ounce - out of the dojo.

* * *

I was sitting next to Tsuna's bedside when he woke up a few hours later, and he gave a small smile when he saw me. "Kari-chan, you wouldn't believe the weirdest dream I had! There was this baby, and-"

"Ciaossu." Tsuna screamed as Reborn appeared on his bedside table. I jumped a little, too, at his sudden appearance before laughing loudly at my brother's reaction. "Have you accepted your fate yet, Dame-Tsuna?"

Cue the crying and screaming and refusing to be a tenth generation mafia boss, at which I simply stared in amazement. So this was what every day was going to be like from now on?

Well, here's to my second life.

* * *

_Eenie, meenie, minie, moe._

_Catch a tiger by its toe._

_If he hollers, tell him that life is unfair and he better shut up and stop whining before he gets found by the trapper and skinned alive._

* * *

GA: And thus end chapter 3. Sorry if it seems rushed, I'm trying to get all of the introduction stuff done so we can get to the first main arc. Word count for this chapter is the longest I've ever written for a chapter. 3611, not including the author's notes, and eight pages in google drive!

Questions, comments, concerns, loves or hates, shoot me a PM or leave a review and I'll be sure to answer!

And remember, the guessing game is still up for grabs! Sorry I have no prize, but I want to see what Flame type you think Kari is.

**Guessing Game: Guess Takari's Flame type before it's revealed in a few chapters! It's** _**not**_ **limited to the seven canon Flames, but remember that it's already revealed that she has extremely weak Sky flames, so that's out of the picture.**

'Til next time!

~G. Annihilator


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